How to have a Perfect Day in Philly, according to culinary power couple Phila and Rachel Lorn The married restauranteurs behind Mawn and Sao don't get a lot of time off. When they do, they pack in a day of eating across Rittenhouse Square, South Philly, and Kensington.

How do Phila and Rachel Lorn — the culinary power couple behind Mawn and Sao — spend a perfect day in Philly?

By having a slow morning, thrifting, and indulging in not one, but two baskets of the best bread in America.

🎁 link from @inquirer.com

i just learned about old forge style pizza and i firmly believe it's about a half-step above altoona pizza

Cooper Sharp has conquered cheesesteaks. Is it a pizza cheese now? Cooper Sharp has exploded in popularity as a pizza topping. In Philly, the trend is driven by the Pizazz — a little known hyperlocal pizza that uses American cheese.

Cooper Sharp has conquered cheesesteaks. Now, is ready to top pizza?

A surprising amount of Philly pizzerias are turning to the melty American cheese as the base for white pies, even if it's a bit of a diva to work with.

my latest for @inquirer.com (with no paywall!) ⬇️

From caramelized garlic toffee to caprese, Franklin Fountain rolls out limited edition experimental ice cream flavors The old school ice cream parlor will be releasing limited quantities of experimental ice cream pints and flights in flavors ranging from cherry wood to prickly pear through Aug. 22

Old school ice cream parlor Franklin Fountain is releasing 12 new school pints and flights in limited quantities through Aug. 22.

Some of the hit flavors: Caprese made with homemade mozz, Shamrock Shake-colored sage, cherry wood, and banana bread.

For the full schedule, @inquirer.com ⬇️

This Philly coffee shop charges for to-go cups. Are they right? Vibrant Coffee Roasters is now charging customers 25 cents more for using disposable cups at both its Rittenhouse Square and Lombard Street locations.

Popular Philly coffee shop Vibrant is charging customers an extra 25 cents for getting their drinks in to-go cups.

“If you’re not taking one of the cups and sleeves and lids that cost us money to buy, then I’m happy to charge you less,” said co-owner Ross Nickerson.

✍️ in @inquirer.com

Philly scores seven 2026 James Beard Award finalists Kalaya, Emmett, and the Lovers Bar at Friday Saturday Sunday all scored nominations for Outstanding Restaurant, Best New Restaurant, and Outstanding Bar, respectively.

Philly has 7 finalists for James Beard Foundation awards, which will be announced June 15 in Chicago.

First time noms include Evan Snyder of Emmett, Justine MacNeil of Fiore, and Amanda Shulman of the Michelin-starred Her Place.

Full deets with a 🎁 link courtesy of @inquirer.com

Tell the Inquirer about the best and weirdest food you’ve brought into Citizens Bank Park Citizens Bank Park allows spectators to bring their own food inside for Phillies games. We want to know what foods you're bringing in — and if they hold up for all nine innings.

You can bring pretty much whatever food you want into Citizens Bank Park for a Phillies game so long as its sealed.

So @inquirer.com and I want to know: What's the best or weirdest food you've brought from home for a Phils game?

Nothing is off limits. To share, just fill out this quick form!

Carmen’s Table brings Puerto Rican barbecue — and a grandmother’s dream — to South Jersey Named after owner Roselyn Gonzalez's mother, this Glendora spot will pair Southern barbecue with classic Puerto Rican side dishes.

South Jersey lowkey got a cuchifrito with Carmen’s Table, a new Puerto Rican BBQ restaurant that opened in Glendora.

Must orders: pastelillos, yuca, roast pork. It’s named after owner Roselyn Gonzalez’s mom Carmen, who is known across PR, the Bronx, and NE Philly for her sofrito.

the J Street is an honorable mention! we had to spread our wings from the Kensington area though — too many good sandwiches up this way.

this is a catch all we use for the neighborhoods encompassing fishtown/kensington/east kensington/etc.

even though middle child clubhouse is colloquially in fishtown, it’s technically not on a map — it’s in kensington writ large. we do this to avoid any drama or politics around neighborhoods.

The best breakfast sandwiches in Philadelphia Philadelphia's best breakfast sandwiches have two things in a common: excellent bread and sense of whimsy. Our favorites conjure the flavors of ramen, sack lunches, and Italian dinners.

philly doesn’t have a ubiquitous breakfast sandwich (yet!), but the city’s best have three things in common: fresh bread, heft, and a lot of whimsy.

here’s @inquirer.com’s picks for the best breakfast sammies in philly, from a ramen-inspired bagel to a donut egg and cheese.

How to have a Perfect Philly Day, according to pizza master Joe Beddia The Pizzeria Beddia owner starts a perfect Wednesday in Philly with weighing dough and a Bloody Mary from Little Pete's and ends it with dinner at Andiaro.

On his perfect Philly day, Joe Beddia is still .... making pizza? Yeah, duh.

The Lancaster-raised pizza master also goes to a diner for a Bloody Mary, shops for art, and somehow manages to walk, like, 10 miles?

🖊️ for @inquirer.com

at this new west philly coffee shop, it’s BYOB — as in “bring your own bagel.”

the team behind cleo bagels opened a coffee shop next door and there’s espresso, bagel-inspired cookies, jewish apple cake muffins, and homemade coffee mugs.

🎁 link: share.inquirer.com/g8ta8j

i have asked all the agencies involved to provide me with the names of these establishments and the findings of those compliance checks! hopefully will be able to nail this down for a follow up.

Did law enforcement go overboard on an inspection of the only women’s sports bar in Philadelphia? Chivonn Anderson said her bar was targeted as a result of unfounded tips of underaged drinking, but Philadelphia police claim the incident was part of a pre-planned compliance check.

Did police go overboard while inspecting Marsha's, Philly's only women's sports bar?

Videos of police — some masked — flooding Marsha's went viral on social media after the owner said the inspection stemmed from an unfounded anonymous tip about underaged drinking.

Police have a different story.

A Philly ‘wine fight’ is playing out in court as 2 schools battle over cyberbullying and a trademark PhillyWine LLC alleges in a federal lawsuit that the duo behind the Wine School of Philadelphia tried to confuse customers and profit from PhillyWine's prestige.

Will the real Philly Wine School please stand up?

The question has two Philly wine educators duking it out in federal court alongside allegations of cyberbullying, unfair competition, and in one instance, even lying about a masters degree.

my latest for @inquirer.com with @abgutman.bsky.social

Almost Home’s Old City coffeehouse shutters, months after severing ties with troubled Glu Hospitality The relationship soured early last year, as allegations against Glu surfaced. Almost Home founder Robbie Doran says he plans to open other locations in Philadelphia.

Pour one out for the Old City location of coffee shop Almost Home General, which closed this week after under two years in business.

The nail in the coffin, according to management: A failed health inspection that went viral. (Not to mention their now-dissolved partnership with Glu Hospitality.)

A tale of two festivals: Philly Bierfest wants NYC-rooted Philly Beer Fest to stop confusing customers After dealing with confusion for two years, Philly Bierfest, from the German Society of Pennsylvania, wants a new festival with a nearly identical name to stop scheduling on the same date.

A battle of the beer festivals is coming to a head: Philly Bierfest is asking Philly Beer Fest to back off after its creators scheduled their event for the same day

Beer Fest's NYC organizers say it's a coincidence, but emails obtained by @inquirer.com reveal tensions have been brewing since 2024.

A new kava and kratom lounge in Old City wants to demystify the controversial substances with mocktails.

I tried Old City Kava Co., which spikes lattes and N/A bevs with botanic kava and kratom. Its owners say its nothing like the synthetic gas station variety.

🎁 link: share.inquirer.com/1bjAD5

🚨 new sexy philly burger alert 🚨

NYC's viral Dominican smashburger chain El Sazón R.D is officially open in Northern Liberties, where they are topping their patties with perfectly golden queso frito.

🎁 link from @inquirer.com: share.inquirer.com/tIvtMQ

I present to you: Friday Saturday Sunday (Lego edition).

Lovers Bar regular Gene Gualtieri loves the Michelin-starred restaurant so much that his son Leo designed a Lego replica for him. It took 3,233 legos, $1,500, and a lot of finger calluses.

🎁 for the full story: share.inquirer.com/PL7Uwg

Lou Capozzoli, steward of Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in South Philly, has died at 86 He was an accomplished singer and saxophonist who performed for Sophia Loren and opened for Diana Ross before taking over his father's bar and transforming it into a top-notch dive.

NEW: Lou Capozzoli, the owner of beloved South Philly dive Ray's Happy Birthday Bar, has died at 86.

Lou was a "showman's showman," friends said, with an infectious personality that made for illustrious career in entertainment. Owning Ray's, they said, was the cherry on top.

🎁 from @inquirer.com

12 romantic, under-the-radar restaurants in Philly and the suburbs Skip the struggle to get into the oversubscribed hotspots and book a Valentine's Day table at one of these charmers instead.

The streets are telling me that you haven't made your Valentine's Day resy yet ... which is why the team @inquirer.com put together this map of sneakily romantic restaurants in Philly + burbs.

And yes, some of them still have tables available. Full list ⬇️

Philly’s ultimate dive bar map Hundreds of Philadelphians submitted recommendations for their favorite dive bars. These 20 spots, from Center City to Northwest Philly and Kensington, are tried-and-true bests.

Philly's dive bars are a dying breed, but they're also the last bastions of a rare type of a community feel, where you can come as you are, make a friend, and get a cheap beer.

@inquirer.com mapped Philly's best dives, according to our readers (and bar regulars!).

🎁 link:

Fourth base or football? The story behind the viral naughty bears outside a Southwest Philly strip club. A video of a lost driver discovering Sin City Cabaret Nightclub's naughty bear topiaries went viral earlier this month. The club's owner claims the sex is in the eye of the beholder.

Earlier this month, the internet discovered a Philly gem: The bushes outside of Southwest Philly strip club Sin City that look like — well — two bears having sex.

For @inquirer.com: I wrote the official history of the Sin City bears, which cost $18K and were designed by an ex-Disney employee.

Why is everyone so excited about University City’s new Taco Bell? Philadelphia Redditors couldn't hide their excitement for Philly's newest Taco Bell location at 3901 Chestnut Street. Why they cared so much remains a mystery.

Last month, I kept seeing posts in the 95K-member strong r/philly subreddit about a new Taco Bell in University City. It was the kind of word-of-mouth marketing every restaurant dreams of.

I wanted to know: Is this Taco Bell actually worth all the excitement?

The answer: Not by a long shot.

Reservation scalpers are headed for Philly. Can restaurants clap back? After a customer tried to auction off multiple Mawn reservations, its owners say they'd like to ban the seller from making future reservations — but they don't know how.

Reservation scalping has made it to Philly — and some restaurant owners say they feel "powerless" to stopping them.

I found tables for sale at Pine Street Grill, Kalaya, and Barclay Prime on Appointment Trader, where some were selling for $200+.

🎁 link courtesy @phillyinqfood.bsky.social

Crust Vegan Bakery has officially moved to East Falls after 5 years on Main Street in Manayunk.

The larger space means there's (finally) coffee and tea, plus more space for fan favorites: pop-tart dupes, vegan soft serve, and dairy-free cheesecake.

share.inquirer.com/A2YHZD

Gluten-free bakery Flakely levels up with a new and bigger storefront in Bryn Mawr Lila Colello's acclaimed gluten free bakery will move from an industrial kitchen in Manayunk to a fully functional storefront at 1007 W. Lancaster Ave. by February 2026.

big news for the gluten free in philly: acclaimed GF bakery flakely is moving from its manayunk takeout window to a full-fledged storefront in bryn mawr.

opening is set for feb. 2026. for more details on how to get your hands on fresh gluten-free croissants ⬇️

south philly has a new shoppy shop — and at this one, you can customize a hat with with patches on the spot.

welcome inside east passyunk ave.'s red gravy goods, where you can also find unofficial eagles merch and pasta-shaped candles.

🎁 link from @inquirer.com: share.inquirer.com/3yrnZ8